How Did the Word ‘Pansy’ Come to Mean Weak?

This week on the show, CJ and I talked about the word pansy. How in the world did the word for a sturdy, beautiful flower come to mean weak and unmanly? So I had to do some research! The only thing I came up with is a response from Yahoo Answers:

It is not a specific reference to the type of flower being weak or delicate, but instead flowers in general having characteristics that are not considered masculine in mainstream culture.

Fun fact: Did you know that Floyd Lawson, the barber on The Andy Griffith Show grew prize-winning pansies?